Production Line Degraded Mode Control Across Disparate Machines

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Solution Overview

Problem

Agricultural equipment management in the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) industry faces challenges due to disparate systems from multiple vendors, lack of standardized fault detection and diagnostic capabilities, inconsistent preventative maintenance reminders, poor visibility into production lines, and difficulty in finding qualified technicians, leading to lost output and costly repairs.

Innovation Solution

A system that aggregates and harmonizes fault and maintenance data from disparate machines, provides real-time notifications, and allows for equipment to operate in a degraded mode, using sensors and AI to schedule maintenance and reroute production, ensuring efficient repair and maintenance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If equipment from multiple vendors is used without standardized fault detection capabilities, then equipment versatility is improved, but fault detection precision and diagnostic capabilities deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveequipment compatibilityVSAvoidfault detection precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a centralized server as an intermediary that receives data from multiple vendor equipment through various communication protocols. This server harmonizes and aggregates fault data from disparate sources, enabling standardized fault detection across heterogeneous equipment without requiring each vendor to implement identical diagnostic capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If machines operate without real-time monitoring and degraded mode capability, then equipment simplicity is maintained, but productivity is reduced due to unplanned downtime

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem complexityVSAvoidproduction output

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring equipment parameters and detecting potential failures before they cause complete breakdown. The server identifies degradation trends and triggers alerts or automatically transitions equipment to degraded mode, allowing producers to take corrective action or redistribute workloads before productivity is severely impacted.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service through automated monitoring and self-diagnosis capabilities. The server autonomously aggregates data from multiple machines, detects faults, and determines appropriate responses without requiring constant human intervention, thereby maintaining simplicity while improving productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Ease of operation

If preventive maintenance is not systematically tracked across multiple machines, then ease of operation is maintained, but reliability deteriorates due to missed maintenance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemaintenance management easeVSAvoidequipment reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges maintenance tracking for multiple machines into a single centralized system. The server consolidates maintenance schedules, service histories, and preventive maintenance reminders from all connected equipment, allowing operators to manage reliability across the entire production line through one unified interface rather than tracking each machine separately.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Device complexity

If fault data from disparate machines is not harmonized, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of information occurs regarding production status

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata integration complexityVSAvoidproduction visibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The server implements universal data aggregation capabilities that can receive and harmonize fault data from multiple machine types and communication protocols. This multi-functional approach allows the system to maintain simplified individual machine operations while centralizing information gathering, ensuring complete production visibility without adding complexity to the machines themselves.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20260016375A1Systems and methods of managing a production line in a degraded mode

Publication Date: 2026.01.15 ADEPT AG

AI summary

A device may detect a problem with one machine in a production line comprising a set of disparate machines to yield a detected problem. A device may, based on the detected problem, determine, via an artificial intelligence model or rule chain and for a respective machine on the production line, a respective correct degraded mode for the respective machine in order to maintain a constant and a degraded production line output. A device may issue a series of commands such that a respective machine adjusts to the respective correct degraded mode and the production line operates to produce the degraded production line output.